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FundingThe Department provides capital grant to Translink for Northern Ireland Railways to operate rail services. The funding helps maintain and develop the rail infrastructure, which includes track, stations, bridges, level crossings etc, and rolling stock, which includes trains, equipment and associated plant machinery. This investment allows rail services to operate safely and efficiently and helps make public transport an attractive alternative to private transport. Public Transport Performance Division approves and monitors the Capital Grant allocated to Translink ensuring that projects demonstrate value for taxpayer's money and expenditure falls within budgetary limits. Northern Ireland Railways has taken delivery of 23 new trains built by Spanish train manufacturers Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarrilles S A (CAF). The first train entered into passenger service in November 2004 and all trains are now available for passenger service. This project involves investment of some £83m and will provide speedier, more reliable and more comfortable rail services in Northern Ireland. A Position Report This paper was a means of gathering views from all those interested in the extent to which there should be investment in our railway network. The consultation closed on 23 July 2004 and the views gathered informed the decision making process in the 2004 Spending Review. The budget announcement on 20 December 2004 makes provision for the development of the core part of the Northern Ireland network in line with the funding estimates in the RRG report as well as for an element of capital renewal on the lesser-used lines represented by Option 2 of the RRG report. The Department has now undertaken further work through the auspices of an Inter-Agency Steering Group which has looked at a wide range of options for the future provision of rail services. As a result The Department will be funding investment of some £137m over the next three years (2008/09 - 2010/11). This will go toward the acquisition of 20 new trains, including 13 replacements for rolling stock which is life expired. There will also be 7 additional trains which will be used to increase capacity on the network. Later this year work will commence on a track life extension project on the rail line between Ballymena and Coleraine and planning will begin on a complete relay of the track between Coleraine and Derry. Other schemes whcih are being taken forward include the upgrade of the rail track between Lisburn and Lurgan and the building of a new station at Newry which it is hoped will be complete in 2009. Heritage and Tourist Railways
Heritage and Tourist Railways in Northern Ireland are privately owned and run. They do not provide passenger services for the travelling public and are not funded by the Department. They are however a valuable tourist and heritage amenity. All railway operators in Northern Ireland including light and heritage railways are required to comply with all new regulations introduced by the Department to further improve railway safety. In some circumstances heritage railways operating on their own tracks and at a line speed that does not exceed 25mph may be exempted from some of the more onerous regulations where the Department is satisfied that the safety of passengers and the general public is not compromised. The Department has responsibility for the licensing of all light railways including heritage railways operating in Northern Ireland in exercise of the powers conferred on it under section 27 of the Regulation of Railways Act 1868. The following privately owned light and heritage railways operators across Northern Ireland. Of these railways The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI)
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